Happy Tuesday everyone! I just got back from a quick trip to Boston over the weekend, for a little work and a little play, but definitely had some time to unwind, recharge and disconnect for a bit. I can’t wait to hear how you all made out with last week’s’ challenge, which you can read all about in this post. I had so much fun trying new recipes, like these Pepper Shell Tacos from The Toasted Pine Nut, which was a fan favorite because they were flavorful, easy and SO good. I also made my famous pan-seared salmon, with a side of this healthy broccoli slaw recipe, and instead of mayo, I used non-fat greek yogurt. I think I tried a new recipe almost every day last week, so I will share some new recipes soon. I also took a CrossFit class at CrossFit New England on Friday afternoon, which was such a fun experience. If you’re new to the wellness challenge, you can find all of the information here. Don’t forget to keep sending me your progress, as I love hearing about your recipes and commitment to #LFLWellness6. Keep up the great work! So what is the theme for week 3 of the Spring To Summer 6 Week Wellness Challenge you ask? The answer- get moving! I am sharing my workout regime and what I do to stay healthy. Scroll down to read more:
What Is CrossFit?
This week I want to focus on Fitness. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that my family and I are extremely into the sport of CrossFit. I started CrossFit a little over two years ago, and I haven’t looked back. The goal when creating CrossFit was to develop a fitness program that was broad, general, and inclusive. If you aren’t familiar with CrossFit, the creator, Greg Glassman, simply defines the sport as “Constantly varied high-intensity functional movement.” I know that this definition and CrossFit, in general, may sound a bit intimidating, but I want you to understand that CrossFit is universally scalable. This means that every workout can be tailored made for you, your skill level and your fitness ability. Workouts can be modified for everyone, so there is nothing to be afraid of! With that being said, with the help of my brothers Matthew and Paul Micheli, who are both CrossFit Level 1 Trainers, we feel that it is important to break down what CrossFit means into three simple parts. School is in session…let’s begin:
1. Variance:
CrossFit has eliminated the school of thought that “Monday is for arms and abs, Tuesday is for butt and legs” and so on and so forth. These routines, that consist of a fixed workout pattern, become a blueprint for specializing in those specific movements on those specific days. The goal is to vary weights, reps, movements and time. The one specialty of CrossFit is specializing in nothing at all. Not only does this keep things exciting and challenging every day, but it provides you with a greater level of fitness with results that you make you question why you weren’t always doing CrossFit.
2. Intensity:
This word has become all the rage in the fitness world. The average person will measure the intensity level of their workout by how red their face gets, how sweaty they get during the workout and their heart rate. These are all poor measures of intensity. Intensity is defined as power and power = force x distance/time. You may be feeling like you’re back in your high school physics class, right? Don’t. It’s simple if you understand that intensity is what is going to deliver results! Additionally, it’s important to recognize that everyone has their own physical and psychological tolerance of intensity, meaning that as long as you are pushing your limits and challenging yourself in every workout, you will experience the benefits of CrossFit.
3. Functional:
Functional movements are essential, compound, yet irreducible movements that are natural and safe. They are built into your DNA and part of who you are. When you bend over to pick up something, that is a functional movement-you have just performed a deadlift. Movements like squats, push-ups, burpees and shoulder presses are functional movements that are in your everyday life. The common factor between all of these functional movements is that they radiate from core to extremity – meaning that the movements originated with the large muscle groups in your core and there is a wave of force that is transferred to your extremities, thus completing the movement. Functional movements and high intensity are radically more effective at eliciting nearly any desired fitness result – it is that simple.
5 CrossFit Myths Debunked:
Before you jump to the conclusion that CrossFit is too intense, dangerous and not something that women should do, I want you to learn that facts first! You may just find yourself wanting to start your first CrossFit workout today. Scroll down to read 5 CrossFit Myths Debunked:
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You will get hurt
With every physical activity, comes the risk of injury if executed poorly and unsafely. CrossFit places a major emphasis on quality of functional movements which are based on everyday tasks. For example, a squat is how you get off of your chair, and a deadlift is how you get the grocery bags on the table. You may be intimidated by the heavy weights or the stories of people that pushed themselves too far, but I suggest that you simply listen to your body. If the weight is too heavy don’t lift it over your head, or if something doesn’t feel right, stop and do something else. You are much safer in any of the 14,000 CrossFit gyms than you are in a trance on the treadmill for 90 minutes, pounding your knees without ever learning proper running form. You may be sore after doing CrossFit, but do not confuse this with an injury.
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You will bulk up
One of the biggest fears that I hear from women about lifting weights is that they might get too bulky. While I greatly admire the female athletes that compete in the CrossFit games, it is not everyone’s goal to look like them. Looking like that takes years of heavy weightlifting and dedicated nutrition programs at a calorie surplus. Women have 1/20 to 1/30 the amount of testosterone of males, which makes it very difficult to put on muscle mass. This means that unless you are eating a 3000-5000 calorie diet of whole quality foods and excess protein, lifting heavy will result in fat loss way before it will result in bulky muscle gains. A set of heavy squats will burn more calories than a 45-minute jog, and keep burning those calories well after you leave the gym. Stay in a calorie deficit and lift as heavy as you can and I promise the results will amaze you.
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You can spot treat fat
The most common exercises for women are based on the idea of burning fat from certain body parts. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is not possible. You cannot “spot treat” fat, it is lost evenly throughout when your body uses it as fuel. Crunches do nothing for belly fat, and that burn in your arms from doing 100 curls with the little pink weights does not burn arm fat. That burn is a muscle endurance exercise, and will only make you good at doing more and more curls with no results. As explained earlier, results come from intensity which is moving a heavy load a long distance quickly. A crunch is a very light load being moved about 3 inches. They burn very little calories, and now that you’ve learned they aren’t targeting body fat, what is the point? There isn’t one. You are better off doing sets of heavy squats or adding weight to your full range abdominal movements, like hanging leg raises or V-ups.
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You can change the shape of your muscles
There is a big misconception that you can lengthen or tone your muscles. The shape of your muscles is genetic and you have two choices in making a change. You can lose fat, making them show through, or you can make them bigger. Keep your diet in check and your intensity high and you will be able to do both easily. Your body is the body you were given, so learn to love the shape and stop trying to “lengthen and tone” because it isn’t science and frankly a waste of time.
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Cardio is the best way to burn fat
Training for a marathon is not the way to reach your fat loss goals. The only goal that should be associated with a marathon, is completing the marathon, which is an amazing accomplishment. If your goal is to lose fat, there is little success in long-distance endurance training. More people get knee problems and have to stop than lose weight. I suggest you work towards setting a new deadlift record, or 400m sprint record if your goal is to lose weight. Long distance drawn out cardio actually releases a hormone that tells your body to store fat. Let’s be honest, it also takes way too long and is boring. If you are reading a magazine while you’re doing it, you aren’t bringing the intensity we’ve now learned gives the best results. Instead of 60 minutes of moderate intensity on the Stairmaster, I suggest a 15 minute CrossFit workout at 100% effort, and you can use the other 45 minutes to read a magazine on the couch. Keep in mind, while boxing classes and dance classes are fun and sexy, they lack intensity in the sense of the definition above. Boxing may seem “intense” because you are letting out a lot of anger on the bag, but you now know the science behind the word, and punching a heavy bag is low-intensity cardio at best. These classes are a great way to get moving and hang out with friends, but I am here to get you the best results in the least amount of time, and they are not the way. The countless models that Instagram their boxing classes and cheeseburgers, are not actually eating that, and have trainers that put them through CrossFit style workouts off camera. They are expensive, very well marketed and have very few proven results.
Is CrossFit For Me?
Now that we have defined the meaning of CrossFit and debunked some common myths that are associated with the sport, you may be thinking “Is CrossFit for me?”. Well, my answer is absolutely. I initially started CrossFit because I saw how much my brothers loved the sport, and quickly realized that there was so much more to CrossFit than just trying to get a six-pack. Before CrossFit, I was stuck in the same workout routine and looking for something new that was going to help me become better in all aspects of fitness. Plus, I am always up for a challenge and learning new things, so CrossFit felt like the perfect fit. So, if you’re looking to improve your health and wellness, or wanting to increase your power, speed, strength, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, flexibility, stamina, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy, then CrossFit is for you. You may not want all aspects that I just mentioned, and that’s okay. If you just want to be healthy, then CrossFit is still for you. It is for people of all ages, from 18 to 80 and it aims to improve your health and wellness, which is my top priority and the reason I created the #LFLWellness6 series. I want to encourage you to challenge yourself and set you on the right path to achieve your fitness goals! Keep reading to find out what this weeks Spring to Summer 6 Week Wellness Challenge is!
Week 3 Challenge: 30 minutes of physical activity every day and try a CrossFit workout or any workout that is new to you!
Remember the goal of this six-week wellness challenge is to set realistic goals that are achievable. So this week is dedicated to getting moving. I will include some of my favorite CrossFit workouts that I have loved down below for you to try for yourselves, but ultimately the goal is to get 30 minutes of physical activity every day and try one activity that is new to you. I am not saying you have to be a full-on CrossFitter overnight, but I do want you to get moving. Doing something is better than nothing, so if you want to work up to the exercises that I provided below or modify any of them, feel free. You can also try taking a new yoga class, or pilates class if that is something you have always wanted to do. It is all about you and your fitness journey, so listen to your body and do what feels right!
If you have any additional questions about CrossFit, a particular movement, or anything else that you may want to inquire about, please feel free to reach out to me and my brothers, and I will be happy to clarify any of your questions! Have fun this week! Let’s do this!
Suggestions: Here are some of my favorite CrossFit workouts that I have tried and loved! All of these workouts can be modified to fit your needs. If you want to find more CrossFit workouts, you can see the daily WOD (workout of the day) on the Crossfit mainsite under “WODS” or click here:
Workout 1: 10 MINUTE AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible in 10 Minutes)
-Run 100m
-10 Box Jumps
-10 Burpees
Workout 2: 3 ROUNDS FOR TIME
-15 Thrusters: Use a weight that is right for you (you can see how to do this movement in this video)
-12 Burpees
Workout 3: 8 MINUTE AMRAP
-10 Medicine Ball Cleans (watch this video)
-10 Sit Ups
Workout 4: 16 MINUTE EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute)
-10 Dumbbell Deadlifts (see video here)
-15 Air Squats
-10 Dumbbell Push Press (see video here)
-10 Push-Ups
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